Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion - DF Tech Review - PS5/Xbox Series X/S and Switch Tested!
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- Опубликовано: 21 дек 2022
- Originally released for PSP - and PSP only - Crisis Core has been upgraded signficantly for its remaster and in this video content, Oliver Mackenzie assesses the remaster compared to the original game, checks out all the current-gen versions and even sees how locations from the new release compare to Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
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Crisis Core on the PSP is one of the most graphically premium games on the system next to GoW: Ghost Of Sparta, Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker, and Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep. No matter how many times I beat the games I just refused to uninstall them from my Memory Stick. Just I could return to the games after a while and ogle at their console quality-like graphics (at least at the time), impressively squeezed onto a portable system that is essentially an underpowered PS2 handheld.
Birth By Sleep legitimately looked like a PS2 game.
sony did great handheld systems... but they staright up abandoned vita support and just let it fade away... no surprise the switch took off big time when it got the chance.
@@shadowprice8100 Nintendo was b the number 1 in sell on handheld device
It's one thing about Sony they NEVER fail to deliver impressive both 1st party and 3rd party games on any hardware market they enter....PS1 was a huge success they came out swinging with games after genre defining games.some of their games created and also reinvented genres....PS2 same thing,PSP a bold new world for them but it died with Honor before getting killed by Nintendo's 3DS,PS3 they failed for some time but got up back up swinging,PS Vita...again died with honor before laying to rest forever andPS4 I don't need to say anything,and PS5 was a repeated success.
@@shadowprice8100 that's not what happened.Nintendo was their main and fiercest competitor...they were already the established market leader in handheld gaming since Gameboy.PSP and PS Vita was not ever going to change that.but they had some tremendous success 👍 before dying with honor.
For a PSP game, those facial animations are still better than a lot of modern day games. I don't know why developers neglect this so much. I mean, even Jak & Daxter had beautiful animation face and body animation on the PS2! And then, of course, Naughty Dog went on to have some of the best work in the industry.
The lip sync in Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy is still impressive 'til this day! I remember that blowing my mind as a kid.
Same issue with FFX when they remastered that.
Well that's the advantage of having a somewhat smaller linear title. The main issue today is that it's not financially possible to lip sync every single scene due to how much dialog exists in them. It was just easier to get that stuff then. Plus lip syncing for multiple voiced languages isn't something a lot of games do either
@@crestofhonor2349 Not true at all. They can more than afford to lip sync, they just aren't going that far for a remaster. Square-Enix generally gets pretty lazy with certain things now. They aren't what they used to be and think they are making enough because they cater to Japan, when their games just aren't as good as they used to be. They are far from poor.
@@blumiu2426 Lip sync is expensive and requires special hardware to track a person's lips. It is absolutely unfeasible in most games due to how much dialog there is. That's why it's typically left to just important cutscenes. It's the reason why every single game release never has the entire game lip synced because it's just nor possible. Look up how lip sync is done in games and why not every game has it going in 100% of the scenes. RPGs are even more difficult to get it right since you have to develop your own procedural lip animation set
Impressive how good they managed to make it look on Switch. I'm guessing the extended transition from last generation to current generation have allowed a lot of developers to increase their skill in scalability for games. Getting some of these games to run on the VHS Xbox is probably near as difficult.
Never had a PSP, so I'm glad I will eventually get a chance to play this game. I'll pick it up a little later on.
Switch is nowhere near VHS Xbox.
VHS is pumping this thing out at 1080p don't sleep on the VHS
@@steve833333 Ha, really? I'm impressed, credit to the developer. I got Cyberpunk when I had the One X, but before that I had the VHS. Cyberpunk ran just fine on the One X, but could barely boot on the VHS lol.
Can't imagine the load times on it though. I jumped from the Series X to the One X playing it (played in bedroom instead of living room) and those portal load times are killer haha.
Now THIS is what I call a remaster. Seriously impressive work, both on a technical, but also artistic level. This can only be achieved by genuine fans of the original, which is why it's so rare to see a remaster of this quality. It's not really a remake, even though it has new content, I would still consider it a remaster because aforementioned new content is literally just voiced versions of previously written dialogue.
Crisis Core Reunion is exactly how I remember Crisis Core being from back in the day.
12/10
The price of freedom is steep indeed.
60 bucks lol
@@repeekyraidcero I thought the game was $50.
@@repeekyraidcero its almost $80 Canadian tax-in... I loved the PSP version but imma wait till this one goes on sale
The base game cost 50€ here in rancid Europe. Still too much for "this".
they don't understand your comment lmao😂
This game was the main reason I wanted a PSP back in the day.
Same
Same i think. Crisis Core and another Game... Birth by Sleep.
@@flimermithrandirKingdom Hearts Birth by sleep
I love this game so freaking much, corny voice acting and all. Actually surprised they got it to play on switch fairly well. Currently playing it on PS5 and replayed the original via emulation on Steam Deck earlier this year. One of my fave entries despite not being mainline. I'm so glad you guys covered it.
This version is my first time experiencing the game and it's been a joy! I don't even mind the simple and grindy side missions. Somehow, the game's just so fun.
@@Renk1 that's awesome! I'm glad to hear newcomers are enjoying it despite some of the aging elements. They did an amazing job with this remake. I played this a lot on PSP when it released and can't wait to do it again on current gen.
Its not mainline but its very important if you love FF7 lore and characters for sure 😭❤
Man, the on the go short missions are great for switch players which isn't a surprise because it was made for the PSP. Highly recommend it on switch.
i finished this i think 8 times since PSP days. Idont care if its not mainline this Manly Tears still rememember how painful and beautiful the story still 😭
Crisis Core, along with Dissidia 012 [Duodecim] Final Fantasy, and KH: Birth By Sleep, was one of my favorite PSP games of all time! I've remembered replaying the original game more than 15 times and put about 300 hours into the game.
I'm glad the game was remastered for all current consoles. It's also great for introducing new players into the Final Fantasy VII series and for those who missed out on the original PSP version.
Imagine a Duodecim port to modern consoles, I would spend hundreds of hours all over again.
I bought a PSP just to play this game back in the day. I adore this game. I'm really enjoying the new faster paced combat. The previous version wouldn't have worked on any console other than the PSP, so I'm glad to see the change. Very pleased with this version
Make sure you give persona a try
That was a pleasantly fantastic review, Oliver. Very concise. Thank you.
Awesome video Oliver, thanks for going to the effort of doing all the side-by-side comparisons with the PSP game. I’ve wanted to revisit this one for years, looking forward to replaying on Series X.
Fantastic job! Loved the comparison shots. Must have been a very long and draining process but the result is amazing.
Crisis core on the PSP looks better than the newer Pokemon games
very true xD
I mean, Xenoblade does too and that is also open world.
There is no technical excuse whatsoever for the botch job Gamefreak did on Pokemon.
Whoops, you wrote PSP, I overread and thought Switch. xD
Pokémon from the gameboy looks better than the new ones
Pokemon is a joke now sadly
@@heart_of_a_daedra3649
I wouldn’t say a joke cause the game itself is pretty awesome.
But the technical side is indeed unacceptable. It really has the status of a beta version and not a very good one at that.
CCU and XBC3 show what the Switch is capable of in the hand of developers who know what they’re doing. Game freak seems to go the way of 343 lately..
@@Lock2002ful game has been dumbed down so hard and its a technical joke, gamecube games from nearly 20 years ago have better models & animations, plus games from 15 years ago had better post game
The original game still holds up (visually) amazing well imo.
Nope
ps2 graphics dont look visually amazing lol
@@Joespart9010
Yep
@@Donorito
He's talking about the overall aesthetic.
So yes.
@Kyle Katarn even then, it doesn't lol
While not even in the same league as FF7 Remake graphically, I still love Crisis Core. It has a great story and made me realize Zack is an amazing character.
You know that "this is how I always remember it looking!" meme? Yeah, I'm finally having that with this. Reunion is how I always remember the original PSP version looking (obviously not at 60fps but still). Seeing the original and Reunion back-to-back like this, maaaaan.
Can't wait to start playing during the holiday! Many positive reviews!
I was waiting for this! ❤️
I've been looking forward to this. Having a Switch version sounds interesting, given that the game looks so similar to FF7's remake.
I play this game on my OLED LG C1 and looks incredible. They did an impressive job with this one.
C2 here! Agreed!
S95B, looks even better
LG FLATRON CE-29Q46ET here and looks brilliant on it
FF7 Remake did much better job. FF7 Crisis Core Reunion has many major problems with lip syncing, facial and characters animations and overall lack details on the screen. FF7 Crisis Core Reunion just gives an impression of a mobile game, not a next-gen PC game. They were lazy with this remaster. Even the cutscene are not remade.
@Plop Plap how is it running on PC? Any issues? I’m running a 5600/7900xt.
I'm very impressed on how closely familiar they kept the look and feel of this game when compared to FF7 Remake(it's like I'm returning to Midgar after a few months lol) I felt right at home...I don't like the new voice over for Zack it's not amazing but its also not that bad.Overall I'm very happy with the outcome and grateful that this game exist in the form of a remake/remaster.The pachinko style slot machine is great and fits in well with the overall gameplay combat(never know w'atcha gonna get lol).Otherwise I hope Square releases a chapter DLC with some more side missions 300 isn't enough for SOLDIER 1st Class Zack !!...If you want that 4K@60fps buttery smooth fast responsive gameplay,PS5 & XSX is the way to go guys...and lastly who can forget Nobuo Uematsu's masterpiece touch on every FF soundtrack. I give this game a perfect 10/10....CONFLICT RESOLVED !!
I wish the old VA for Zach was used but oh well still a great game
the voice acting is so bad compared to original.
You kinda deserve bad VA if you don't play with JP voices.
@@gfhfhgfhfgh1562 I'll play it in Japanese when square releases some kind of DLC for the game.
I love nobuo as much as the next FF fan, but aside from the og ff7 tracks, the soundtrack was done by Takeharu Ishimoto(also composed dissidia and TWEWY), and he definitely delivered some bangers
Weirdly enough, FF7 Crisis Core on the PSP was my very first Final Fantasy game! I had not played many, and the PSP was my darling device. I knew of Final Fantasy 7 because of its infamy, so Crisis Core felt like the next best thing to me. I am so incredibly happy to see it get a really well-done remaster by Square.
Weird enough, me too! Crisis Core opened my eyes to the world of Final Fantasy.
My psp was my darling device and crisis core was my favorite game on it to bad my psp was stolen from me. That what I get when trying to help someone in need. You get robbed by them. First FF game was ff7 than ff12 and than ff crisis core on psp. One of the greatest birthday gift ever!
The original PSP game held up surprisingly well. And look at Switch - the little console that could! So impressed at how much this little device has punched above its weight. I hope its eventual successor does the same.
Hes using a emulator with 4x the normal resolution
Could totally be wrong, but I honestly think this may be the best-looking switch port. If I wasn't somehow blessed with a Steam Deck the *exact* year my long-awaited crisis core remake would come out, I could ABSOLUTELY see myself having an absolute blast with this game on the switch. *Seriously* impressive!
@@stefdezy1562 I believe that title should go to Hellblade, it looks incredible on the switch.
My favorite PSP game remastered, i was really "hyped" when they announced it out of the blue. And i'm really pleased with the result.
A remarkable update on an older game. Really brought it up to modern times, and made it a game I just can't stop playing!
Spot on review!. I felt the same way.
I just finished this game and playing this on an ultrawide was awesome. Definitely a good remaster of the original and some improvements.
Im so hyped for getting this on switch, i used to worship this game back on the psp era.
the prerendered scenes could not have been AI upscaled. the buster sword model is completely different. the PSP game uses the compilation design while reunion uses the original/remake design
The switch port is really nice, It looks and feels great on my non oled switch.
I strongly believe if every developer take their time to optimize their switch game we can see better results on overall game performance.its all "careful programming"...if done right,the switch is a capable machine with satisfying results....and I don't personally own a switch but I'm aware of it's success and potential.
One of the PSPs many gems. Loved it as a kid, loving it as an old man. I bought the Switch version and I'm thoroughly enjoying it so far.
I'm installing the game on PS4 right now. Love this game
worth mentioning about the pc version considering its UE4: i have not encountered shader compilation issues
I absolutely loved this game on the PSP. Happy to see it made for the big screen.
Just finished my 1st play through and now for new game plus.
Awsome game
I'm really amazed how much more advanced the graphics are yet looks completely faithful to the source. That's really hard to do.
Played through it on Switch, first time going all the way through CC. Loved it.
the game of my teenage days... I don't know If I'm ready to revisit it, although now I know It's be in great conditions ! THanks for the work !
This game was pretty much overlooked back in the day. Glad it got a second wind.
really like the details you showed well done on your work .
I wish you add steam deck on the line showing how it can handle things . I know it's alot of work keep it going
Nice video, cant wait to play this game on my Xbox Series S!
Never finished the game back in the day on PSP, and it was also before I had finished FFVII, so I’m excited to go back to this.
When will the „best graphics of 2022“ video drop? Cant wait😅
the original only had a single slash normal attack? this makes me appreciate reunion even more. this really leans more into being a remake than just a simple remaster.
Redoing a combat system is not beyond a remaster, it's just seldom done. A remake is a game redone entirely with a new game engine. I'm amazed so many don't know or forgot the differences.
@@blumiu2426 This was rebuilt on unreal engine though.
@@konga382 Not the entire game. It would be a remake then, they didn't go that far for this. They touched things up as they always do with remasters and used AI upscaling.
@@blumiu2426 Yes, the entire game. They reused some assets, but the entire game runs on Unreal Engine 4 now. You don't just upgrade some of a game to a new engine, that's not how that works.
@@konga382 I don't think you know how remasters work. If they rebuilt the whole game on Unreal, it would look just like FFVII Remake, there is a reason it doesn't. FFVII was rebuilt from the ground up clearly, Reunion is essentially refurbished with aid of a new engine, one made to be versatile and why it's used so much.
Bought the Switch version last weekend. Surprised how good it looked and played. If I walked in and randomly saw someone playing it, I wouldn't think it was a Switch game. It actually has me wanting a FF7 Remake port now.
I never played the original but I picked this game up recently and couldn't put it down. It's an excellent remaster and the combat is super fun. I've finished the game and plan to continue a new game plus on hard mode. Highly recommend.
Thanks for the video! I've been playing the game on Xbox Series X and it's been wonderful so far after 10+ hours. Addicting system in my opinion, especially after the Materia Fusion opens up.
As a lover of the original on PSP, I am quite content with this remaster. There is just enough tweaks to make it feel up to date along with keeping my nostalgia intact. I'm not a fan of Zack's new voice actor, but i understood why they did it. I think they did a really good job.
Why did they change the voice actor?
Would love to see a DF Retro on the original Crisis Core for PSP Hardware.
The pacing of this game is perfect for portable/handheld play where you can pick up and put down the game during the day. I wish a more powerful switch came out just to be able to play this at 1080p 60fps, sadly this doesn’t seem likely and I’ll probably play it on PC. Any idea how this runs on the Steam Deck?
I'm surprised how good the capsule shadows look and how little they've been used on platforms like the Switch. They seem like a good trade off versus low resolution shadow maps.
Those shadows on switch look amazing, surprisingly so. The tack sharp shadows on the big consoles look really "fake" compared to that, despite being much more demanding to render.
Those Switch shadows for Crisis Core was actually incredibly pleasing. Kind of makes me wish we had such an option on other consoles and PC. Combine both types of shadows properly and the games visuals could have been even more enhanced.
It appears the lip sync may just be the JP sync carried across to the English VO.
Nope
5:27 It does show the difference between a Remade Title and a Remastered Title.
It does look great but i think they should have leaned more into the remake.
Add a few more walkable areas, make the ones that are available a bit bigger, enhance the mission-system (those are just glorified "kill this miniboss" scenarios - at least when describing the mission as searching for documents make it so that we at least SEE SOME DOCUMENTS) and such simple things.
Also - really, a HUD with target-marker in a game where you in general just have a single path?
The Switch port does look pretty well made, for once! Quite impressive!
It's right up there with Crash and Spyro as excelent repaintings of an old game.
i have been waiting for this remake for a long time
Can't believe how good this looks on the Switch. Honestly...this *may* just be their best port yet.
I've been playing it on my Steam Deck (due to 60fps), but if that device didn't come out this year also, I feel like I'd probably just buy the game for my switch! This game is seriously a portable GOAT, so I'm glad to see it still possible to play, well, portably! :')
I got myself a PSP last year and almost picked this game up but decided to pass on it because it didn't have a case but looking back I'm glad that I did since now I don't have to question whether or not I should play the remaster or original version. Of course Im speaking hypothetically since I haven't actually played and finished a Final fantasy game before.
Oh I think the og game aged very well. I played it before playing Remake and I was still stunned.
I've just about wrapped this up on the SteamDeck. This game is perfect for the SteamDeck with quick in and out missions, instant sleep,and it runs perfectly with minimal tweaks. It's a gem.
Did you map the rear buttons? I haven’t done it yet. Was debating what would be best.
@@FireMrshlBill I'm using the official layout. My hands aren't built for rear buttons.
I loved how the video became a Crisis Core Reunion for Switch vs the ports 😂❤
Great Tech review! Personal opinion: I think this still passes as a Remaster, because in effect, animations, dialog (script), and the game plot is the same
I just noticed that some of the lighting in building have RT. Playing on a PS5 and I am inside the Shinra building. The top of the save point is clearly reflected on several surfaces and only able to seen from certain angles just like RT. But I can’t find anything on RT for this game
This is probably the best example of a remaster. Most remasters just do PC max settings (I think Dishonored is an example of this with a definitive PV version with all the DLC also releasing) or if the console version was near to high/max then something above that with an asset update to the PC version as well (I can't think of an example but I know they exist, mostly in the PS4/XOne gen).
But this game takes it a step further, makes sense because the game is so old and on the PSP but I've seen PSP or similar quality games only get a asset resolution bump so this is great to see.
It's definitely a remaster (a great one at that) because it still uses a version of the backend but with a massive improved front end, I applaud the developers.
I think the PSP version is being kinda sold short here. It's an amazing-looking game for the time and the character models still look fantastic today. There's no reason they couldn't have done a remastering like they did for the old Kingdom Hearts games. They have the same timeless, charming visual style.
What they ended up doing is still cool technically, but it loses a lot by not keeping the original style, and it doesn't look nearly as good as FF7R to make up for it.
i thought this would be just a straight port. it doesn't look super next gen or anything, but it's a nice surprise to see such a degree of graphics overhaul
totally disagree about the visuals not aging well. The artstyle is phenomenal.
Wow, they did a nice job on the Switch, that looks surprisingly good.👍
I used to play it on the psp, so i bought for the switch just to play it in handheld mode like the good old days. Great game!
Glad to see this looking so solid on Switch, I definitely will be picking this up!
Honestly, the semi-blob shadows of the switch version I’ve their own unique charm to them
I wish they would do this for several PSP exclusives. I would love to play Daxter, MGS PO, Valkyria Chronicles II, Resistance Retribution and bunch of other games trapped on the handheld.
I may be the weird one out here but I am seriously on the fence on whether to get the switch version or play it on my series X. My kids dominate the TV lol so on the switch I may actually get to play it enough to finish it as well as play it on a handheld like the original. On the other hand, it will look fantastic on the series X…
I'm glad I didn't play this 15 years ago, I couldn't afford a PSP then but it looks like it worked out for the best!
I was sooooo skeptical to get it on Switch, but maaaan! It is so good! It's like playing on PSP again. Good job squeenix
Good to see the Switch version being largely up to snuff! Now the decision is: 120hz 1440p on laptop, or 30hz 720p on Switch... The latter definitely is more convenient and comfortable, but it's quite the technical gap.
I have to admit I probably wouldn’t of played this had it not been updated, would of missed a gem. Really filled in backstory for FF7.
Many UE4 commands you can edit on FF VII R config files can be boosted in Crisis Core configs. Like rising shadow quality resolution, ahigher quality mipmaps and less texture swapping between LODs.
Config editing really make these games scale up on better hardware.
I've done that with other squeenix titles like DQ 11s which also runs on UE4
This is how i wish they will handle Vagrant Story's remaster. 60 fps, higher resolution textures and assets, and a slightly remade combat system. Keep the battle pause, but the make it so the combo system is done in seamless animations rather than go back to neutral position every after combo hit... JUST LIKE WHAT THEY DID IN CCFF7R!
ACTIVATING COMBAT MODE!
Awesome video! Just really wish to see Steam Deck's performance analysis.
This game runs at a consistent 60fps at 1080p on my ancient Core 2 Quad Q9550 (2008) and HD 7970 GPU (2011). I'm sure it runs well on the Steam Deck.
How are the PS4/Xbox One versions? =)
Please someone tell me what thumb sticks are being used on this guy’s switch. They look super comfy
Great video.
Yaaas! Thank you for covering this. Fascinating port, love seeing how it scales from PS5 to Switch
This game looks impressive on Switch! I'm currently playing The Witcher 3 and Crisis Core on my Switch and I'm very satisfied. Side note: on the sWitcher 3 (ver. 3.7) it helps a lot if you turn off AA, motion blur and depth of field and set sharpening to max, it changes the game for the better. The Nintendo Switch is still a great little system!
Seems Oliver sped up his voice a few different times. Or perhaps he's been practicing his diction so he can talk faster IRL.
Great vid though! I've been curious about this release.
Might check this out on ps5 one day soon
Give me back Rick Gomez and this game becomes the definition of a perfect remastered game.
I really need to applaud SQEX and Tose for the genuine effort and care and attention put into this game. The Switch version especially is an impressive feat. It isn't a watered down port at all, and when not shown side-by-side, I don't notice the difference really.
They did follow the now departed game director Hajime Tabata's vision quite closely, though some of the characters appear to be aged down a bunch with more youthful voice deliveries and character models that look like they eat a bit too much McDonald's and sip on that Diet Coke, making them look like stuffed dolls rather than real human beings in some shots.
The original was also a lot more stylized, and it seems they prioritized realism over style with this one, which makes it look a bit dated already in my opinion...
Still, this is not a bad remaster/remake, and Crisis Core is a must play if you ask me! Either version suffices.
I chose the switch version over ps5 for this one , staying true to the handheld nature of the game and it's actually a fantastic port imo.
The combat is better, but there is no art aesthetic anymore. They used color far more for tone and a bit more visually there was Nomura's style. I've noticed the more push for fidelity, the more games start to look the same and will when most use Unreal Engine. I guess that's what mods are for and also to switch from that terrible voice acting they went with this time around.
I never played the original CC, didn't have a PSP but was always a huge FFVII fan and this made me finally play this, great game honestly.
Is it on par with FFVII and FFVII:R? No, but it's a pretty good game.
The 30fps cap issue is SO prevalent on switch, I wonder if it isn't part of the Base SDK . . . what a shame.
it's not, a lot UE4 have bad frame pacing at 30fps in general.
I still play this on psp ! Well I did now I can play this touched up version long as the music is the same it will be amazing
One question : can you turn off the voice "activating combat mode"?
there is a motion blur setting on the switch